Mutant and Proud
by Regina93
Summary: What if Shaw never existed and Charles met Erik during college? They find out wonderful secrets about each other, decide to work together to protect mutantkind, and become an unstoppable team that humankind can't hope to defeat. Modern day AU. Charles/Erik slash.
1. Chapter 1

Charles had always known he was different from everyone else, but his parents had never bought into his theories. They told him he was merely "perceptive" when he claimed to be hearing other people's thoughts. After twelve years of failing to convince his family that he had a gift, Charles simply gave up and devoted himself to his studies, quickly becoming top of the class and every teacher's favorite student. Attractive, intelligent, and charming, Charles was well-liked by nearly everyone he met, but Charles himself had trouble growing close to people because of his ability to hear their thoughts. It was difficult to care about people when he knew all of their dirty little secrets, so Charles began to teach himself control. It took him years to perfect the technique, but the young telepath was finally able to block incoming thoughts by his sophomore year of college, by which time he met a young man by the name of Erik Lensherr.

They first met during a science class that was doing its best to destroy Erik. Charles first noticed the other man struggling with his studies only three weeks into the class and decided to offer some help. He _suggested_ to the professor that she should allow the students to work in pairs on the next assignment. Once the idea was planted in the professor's mind, Charles only needed to wait for her to announce the project. People had a tendency to do the things he _suggested_ to them. Only one week after his talk with the professor, she told the class to partner up for a "special assignment". Resisting the urge to smirk at his genius plan, Charles reached out and tapped Erik's shoulder, knowing that the girls in the class would snag the attractive young man if Charles didn't get there first.

"Hey, Erik, right?" Charles said, as though he hadn't had the name memorized from the first day. The lean, muscular body under the form-fitting turtlenecks Erik always wore easily explained Charles' immediate attraction to Erik. The man seemed not to feel heat, which Charles found disappointing, as he was constantly wondering what exactly those muscles looked like.

Erik turned slowly in his chair and nodded once. "You're Charles."

"Yeah," Charles replied with a shrug, mentally screaming at himself to keep his mind calm. His plan to let Erik decide without Charles _suggesting_ that this was a good idea was difficult to follow. He casually gestured at the professor, "I thought we could partner up for this one."

Erik's eyes flicked to the side where three girls were sitting, leaning forward on their chairs and staring openly at him, obviously all hoping to be his next partner. Charles forced his features to remain neutral, as though he couldn't care less whether or not Erik said yes. Charles couldn't help but glance at the girls too. He supposed they were all very pretty. All of them were wearing skirts and they were curvy in all the right ways, but Charles was unimpressed by their figures, and even less impressed when he noticed that the red-head's outfit clashed disgustingly with her hair. "Sure."

Charles smiled, his eyes turning back to look at Erik again. It seemed that Erik had spent even less time than Charles had looking at the girls. "We could go the library after class to start?"

"Alright." Erik grabbed his bag and stood with an amused look on his face. Charles glanced around to notice everyone else packing up. Somehow, he had missed the professor dismissing them. He stuffed his books back into his bag and followed Erik from the room. "I thought you would pair up with Raven."

"What?" Charles was caught off guard as he tried to remember which one was Raven. She was the blonde that sat beside Charles and always seemed to be dropping pencils when Charles looked at her.

"You two are the smartest in the class." Erik continued, throwing himself in front of a computer and logging on. "So, how do we do this, then?"

With a slight sigh, Charles almost questioned his idea of working with Erik, but then the other man stretched his arms over his head and Charles forgot his misgivings. None of his boyfriends had even been close to being that muscular. Clearing his throat, Charles booted up his own computer and pretended he hadn't been staring. They began researching and Charles was soon absorbed in explaining details that the professor had already gone over in class.

Somehow Charles managed to teach Erik enough to encourage him to ask for tutoring lessons. Charles was only a little surprised when he saw how meticulously clean Erik kept his room. They met every day, and soon began going to lunch occasionally. Near the end of the semester, Charles decided to throw all caution to the wind. From all he had learned about his friend, Erik was mostly interested in females, but Charles was always an optimist.

They were in Erik's room going over the most recent science homework, and Charles was happy to notice that Erik had answered every question correctly. "I don't think you'll be needing me much longer."

"Sure I will." Erik replied, lounging back onto his bed. "I'm no better at math that I was at science."

"Then I guess I'll be sticking around a little while longer." Charles reached out and pushed some hair away from Erik's forehead. Erik opened his eyes and looked at Charles, confusion displayed clearly across his face, but he didn't move. Charles moved his hand to Erik's cheek and gently traced Erik's lips with his thumb. Erik's breath was warm against Charles' skin. He leaned forward slowly enough that Erik could pull away if he wanted, but was met with no resistance. When he pressed their lips together, Charles felt happiness he had never known possible.

Erik made a low snarl in his throat when Charles pulled away and grabbed his friend by the neck to pull him back down. A small mewl of pleased surprise escaped Charles as Erik forcefully established his dominance. There was a slam as the door shut and locked. Charles spun around to look at the locked door and then looked back at Erik, hardly daring to believe it. _"You too?"_ He projected directly into Erik's mind, causing Erik to jerk forward.

"I thought I was alone." Erik said, amazement shining through his crystalline eyes.

Hope bloomed inside Charles' chest. "So did I," he whispered, curiously sending a tendril of thought into Erik's mind. An intense sense of excitement was laced with a badly suppressed feeling of fear. "What are you so afraid of?" Charles couldn't help but ask, pushing his fingers into Erik's soft hair.

Erik raised his eyebrows. "That." He said. "I don't get these feelings about men."

Charles couldn't help but laugh and look down at himself. "Erik, you might not have your facts quite right."

Erik growled at Charles, roughly pulling the smaller man into his lap and kissing him fiercely, drawing blood as his teeth found Charles' soft lips. "I don't get these feelings about men." He repeated, his eyes serious. "Just about you."

Charles felt the corners of his mouth lift as Erik grabbed him by the hips, surely leaving bruises, and kissed him again. "Erik," he gasped, trying to keep his composure as a marvelous idea dawned on him. "Erik, please listen to me. We have to find others. Others like us."

"What do you mean?"

"What if we found other people that could do things like we do?" Charles asked excitedly. _"Things like speak to people's mind."_

"Or bend metal." Erik added, lifting his hand and causing his metal bed frame to twist out of shape. "What would we do with any others that we found?" He bent his head to Charles' neck.

"I have a place. We could all live there. And learn. And teach. Stay safe." Charles was having trouble forming complete sentences, but was determined to get his thoughts out.

"Then we can start searching for them." Erik agreed. "Tomorrow." He added in a growl, his fingers digging into Charles' skin. "I waited too long for this."

Charles couldn't have agreed more and gladly allowed Erik to shove him against the wall to figure out how this was going to work.


	2. Chapter 2

~2 years later~

Charles found a few other gifted people, and convinced them to listen to his ideas. Some of them were unsure about learning anything from someone so young, but Erik helped convince them that there was more than learning to be done. He explained to them the importance of keeping their powers under control and away from most other humans.

Charles happily brought his new friends to his childhood home and was delighted to witness the astonished looks on their faces. "This is yours?" One of the other mutants asked.

Charles smiled at them all. "No. This is ours. Come now, I'll show you around." He led them inside. He gave Hank the room nearest to the science lab, Raven was given the room closest to the kitchen, and Alex got a room by the elevator to the basement. Darwin picked the room across the hall from Alex's, and Sean got one on the top floor. Erik took the room next to Charles' and immediately informed Charles of his intention's to create an adjoining door for them. By the time everyone was settled, Raven was already cooking dinner. She was, by far, the greatest cook Charles had ever encountered, and was currently preparing rice to go with the chicken she had in the oven. Hank was sitting at the table, watching her cook with a dazed sort of expression on his face.

"That smells amazing, Raven." Charles said, taking a seat across form Hank. Erik sat beside him and draped his arm protectively around the back of Charles' chair.

"Thanks Charles. It should be ready any minute now." She opened the oven to check the chicken and Hank nearly fell out of his chair at the sight of her short skirt riding up her legs. Charles kicked Hank under the table.

Alex and Darwin walked in just as Raven placed the chicken on the table. "Perfect timing!" She exclaimed. "Get it while it's hot!" She put plates down on the table and everyone started eating in near silence. When they were all done, Raven decided to inform them that she refused to do the dishes. "I did the cooking. One of you boys will have to take care of those dishes for me."

Charles quickly established a routine in the house. After breakfast, there was a class about general control that everyone would sit in for, then everyone would get private sessions about controlling their specific power. With Hank's help, Charles also set up a computer lab for them to study courses. The computers were equipped with lessons for every subject they could find, and provided a full education without the hassle of paying college tuition.

As the weeks went by and Charles only managed to scrape together a handful of mutants, he appealed to Hank for a faster means of tracking the others down. "I can't keep going places and sitting there just hoping that a mutant will walk by." Charles told Hank one day. "There must be something we can do to enhance my ability."

"I've been meaning to show you this plan I was working on." Hank admitted with an embarrassed smile. "It's far from complete, but I had been thinking about the disadvantages to your telepathic reach." He brought Charles into the lab and sorted through a few drawers before finding the one he was looking for. The blueprints for a device were laid out in front of Charles, outlining an impressive dome with a great many notes scrawled in Hank's impatient handwriting. "I don't know how we are going to build it, but if it works, it should enhance the distance that your mind can touch."

Charles, delighted with this news, told Hank to come to him if he needed any help with the designing of the device, but secretly knew that Hank would manage much better on his own.

"Charles, Alex had a little accident in the basement." Erik had entered the room silently, but neither Charles nor Hank were surprised to see him. Nobody around the mansion jumped anymore; they knew that Erik would only allow Charles out of his sight for a few minutes before showing up.

Charles sighed. "Enjoy your night, Hank. I will see you tomorrow for lessons."

"He was trying to focus the energy using one of Hank's inventions." Erik explained as they began walking to the basement. "He managed it, by the way. One line of energy straight to the target. Of course, the target is equipped to withstand the power, but we didn't think to Alex-proof the walls. I stopped the fires, but Alex is angry with himself for causing the explosion, and I'm not exactly the best person to talk to for emotional outbursts."

Charles laughed. "So you came to get the mother of the house," he teased, using the nickname the other mutants had given to him when they discovered the way he worried about taking care of them all. He reached up on his toes and gently touched Erik's cheek with his lips. I'll only be a few minutes. Wait for me?"

Erik pinned him against the wall and kissed him. "Just hurry up."

Charles smiled and went into the basement to see Alex glaring at a blackened wall. "You did well today, Alex."

"I nearly burned the mansion down."

"I hardly think Erik would have allowed that. Come now, Alex, this is what we try to do. I told you to focus your power, and you did just that."

"I could have destroyed the house!"

"It will take much more than this," Charles gestured to the small section of blackened and burned wood, "to destroy this mansion. I tell you to practice here because it is the safest place for you. There are protective layers in the walls to prevent fire from spreading. Alex, this is what you are supposed to be doing. If you don't practice, your power will never grow. If I thought that your power was too dangerous, I would not allow you to practice here."

Alex shrugged and picked up a charred harness in front of him. "Hank tried to design something for my power, but I destroyed it. And almost destroyed the house" He dropped the thing and kicked it.

"You should bring it back to Hank and see if he has modifications for next try." Charles suggested, ignoring the comment about the house. Realizing how futile his attempts were, Charles used his power to locate Darwin and asked him to come to the basement. He had barely broken the connection when Darwin was rushing through the door.

"Alex." Darwin muttered, his hand going under Alex's chin. Lifting his face, Alex seemed to shrink with shame, but Charles knew that Darwin would heal Alex's hurt better than anyone else could. Charles slowly walked out of the room, trying not to disturb the silent communication the two boys were having with their eyes.

Erik grabbed him by the arms and pinned him to the wall. Charles twined his arms around Erik and kissed him. "I was only gone for a minute." He whispered when they finally broke for air.

"I don't like when you're not next to me." Erik whispered back, his eyes showing vulnerability that he only allowed Charles to see.

"I'm not going anywhere, Erik." Charles pushed them off the wall and pulled Erik along the hallway toward their rooms.


	3. Chapter 3

Hank finished designing the device that would be used to enhance Charles' power after a mere three months working on it, but was at a loss when it came to building it. Charles, on the other hand, had a few ideas.

"Erik, won't you at least take a look at the design?" Charles pleaded one night. "I know you can build it if we get you the right pieces."

"Maybe." Erik grunted, unable to say no when Charles used his sad puppy eyes. "You have more faith in my abilities than I do."

"Because I know you are capable of amazing things, Erik." Charles snuggled closer to the metal bender, pressing his face into Erik's neck. "You have a groovy mutation, Erik. I wish you would use it more."

"Well, when you put it that way," Erik whispered, an evil grin stretching across his face. Charles felt the metal bed frame respond to Erik's will and couldn't stop the giggle that jumped out of his throat.

The next morning, Charles brought Erik to the lab to look at the blueprints Hank had drawn up. "This doesn't seem too difficult." Erik admitted, in an unusually good mood. "The only problem is finding somewhere to build it without arousing suspicion. This is not a small construction."

"I think I have a solution for that." Charles told him, leading both Erik and Hank to the elevator into the basement. Not far from the room where Alex practiced with his power, there were several rooms that had been cleared out and never filled. One in particular, he knew, was past the edge of the house and could easily be expanded for their needs.

"Impressive." Hank said when Charles located and opened the hidden door. "Although it still might not be large enough."

"That is easily remedied. This room was built as an add-on for storing smuggled goods; it is surrounded almost completely by earth. We can excavate in any direction."

A grin was planted on Erik's face. "Why don't we get started, then?"

"We hardly have the tools for this kind of work, Erik." Charles reminded him.

"Then we better start getting them."

During the time that Erik and Hank were gathering the right materials, Charles found himself alone more than he was used to. For all that he teased Erik for his protectiveness, Charles found that he missed having the metal bender around at all hours. He devoted this time to wandering around, trying to find more mutants. He succeeded; bringing in a couple more in the weeks that Erik was absorbed in his project.

Charles got lucky one day, finding himself walking past the carnival. He sensed a mutant nearby and located him when wandering past the freak show. A young man with red skin and a long tail was being displayed, people jeering at him and throwing food. The red man glared at them, but remained where he was because of heavy chains attached to his feet. After the show, Charles tricked his way backstage by _suggesting_ to the workers that he was supposed to go back to bring food.

"How would you like to get out of here?" Charles asked the red man as soon as he saw him. The man sneered at him and turned away, his chains clanking as he moved. "I can take you somewhere where you don't have to deal with these humans. Somewhere you can be yourself and be safe." Charles noticed the man tense at his words. _"Somewhere where you will be surrounded by others like you."_ Charles spoke to the man's mind.

A crack sounded and in a cloud of smoke, the man appeared in front of Charles, out of the chains. "How did you do that?"

"You are not the only one in the world with abilities." Charles said. He held his hand out. "I'm Charles Xavier, and I would like to offer you a place to stay where you will be safe from people like this."

"Azazel." The red man replied, shaking Charles' hand. "Where is this place you are talking about?"

"Not too far. About an hour's walk from here."

Azazel grinned. "I do not walk. Show me the place and I will take us there."

Charles obliged, presenting a detailed image of the mansion to the teleporter's mind. He took Azazel's offered hand and suddenly found himself standing at the front door to the mansion. "You have an amazing amount of control."

"Years of practice." Azazel sniffed. "What is that exquisite smell?" He prowled down the hall, following his nose, until he found the kitchen.

"Good evening Raven, this is Azazel. He's a teleporter. Azazel, this is Raven. She has the ability to change her shape at will."

Raven turned to greet Azazel and nearly dropped the pot of soup she was holding. "Oh. Hi." Her skin rippled, but held her form as she struggled with her control. Charles grinned behind his hand, hoping that Azazel's red skin might encourage Raven to stop hiding her own true form behind that ridiculous blonde hair she seemed to fancy as much as Hank did.

"Greetings." Azazel said, walking over to take the pot from her hands. "Would you like a hand?"

Raven's skin rippled again as her concentration faltered, but she resolutely held onto her form. "Thank you."

"Did Hank and Erik come home yet?" Charles asked.

"They got here just a little while ago." Raven answered a little too quickly, her eyes darting from Azazel to stare at Charles. "If you want to wait for them here, you can talk to them over dinner."

"No, I would like to see the progress they are making on Cerebro." Charles nodded at the pair of them before slipping out of the kitchen. Only once he was out of earshot did he allow himself a chuckle at how flustered Azazel had made Raven.

Erik was suddenly there in front of him. Charles threw his arms around the taller man's neck and Erik wrapped his around Charles' waist, lifting him slightly so that Charles had to stand on his toes. "I missed you today." Erik said when they broke apart.

"I found a new mutant." Charles responded, knowing that Erik would understand that it was his loneliness that had driven him to wander around for another new mutant. It had been that way when he found Angel and Emma as well. "He's a teleporter."

"Useful." Erik said, taking Charles by the hand and dragging him to the basement. "We finished building it."

Excitement burned in Charles as they raced toward the doorway. Unable to suppress his amazement, Charles openly stared at the gigantic room. "Can I try it?"

"That is not a good idea, Charles." Hank appeared at their elbows. "There are a few tests I want to run before I want you using it, but it should be ready in a week."

Before Charles could respond, the dinner bell rang through the house. The bell was Raven's idea, who had grown tired of everyone arriving to dinner at different times. She had insisted that Hank build her a bell that would allow her to call everyone in the mansion to dinner at the same time so they could eat "like one big, happy family".

Charles gripped Hank by the arm. "Thank you, Hank. This is amazing."

Hank smiled embarrassed by the praise. "It was nothing." He mumbled before darting upstairs to dinner.

Erik held Charles back. "Can't we skip dinner tonight?" He asked in a low growl.

Charles almost agreed, but knew better. "Raven would be out for our blood if we missed dinner." He reminded Erik, who sighed and led the way upstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Charles began using Cerebro as soon as Hank declared it safe. He was in the room every day, and Erik would wait outside, forcing Charles to eat and drink as soon as he stepped through the door. The metal bender noticed how much weight Charles had started losing once Cerebro was up and running. It was like a drug to Charles, who became addicted quickly. He began making excuses to use Cerebro, sometimes staying in the room for hours at a time. Erik confronted Hank, demanding to know if they should stop Charles, but Hank would swear that there was nothing dangerous about the machine.

Raven began to worry too, and started joining Erik at the door with extra food. Charles would barely pick at the scraps before disappearing into his study for another few hours. He started walking around like a zombie, never truly aware of his surroundings. One day, about a year after Cerebro had started working, Raven came running down the hallway toward Erik. She wore clothing to modestly cover herself, but she was finally comfortable in her natural blue form. Her stomach was bulging slightly and Erik tried not to judge her and Azazel too harshly for being so careless.

"We have to make this stop!"

"Quiet!" Erik hissed. He was perpetually worried that breaking Charles' concentration might damage him somehow.

"This isn't healthy. He's working himself to death with that machine. You and I both know it, whether Hank is willing to admit it or not." She spoke his name with badly veiled disgust. Erik knew that Hank had drawn away from everyone as soon as he noticed Raven's obvious attraction to Azazel. "He's moping and letting that cloud his judgment, but this _has to stop_."

"How are we supposed to stop him? Even if we kept him busy during the day, he sneaks down here in the dead of night and uses the blasted machine."

"Then we set an alarm. Or get special locks for the door. I know you worry about him more than I do, Erik." There were tears in Raven's eyes.

Charles exited Cerebro at that moment. "Charles!" She exclaimed, reaching out to him. "You look terrible."

Erik saw that she was right. Charles' skin was drawn and pale, his eyes were sunk into his face, and he was dangerously thin. "Charles, you can't keep doing this to yourself." Erik said, helping Raven guide Charles upstairs.

"You don't understand." Charles mumbled. "The minds I can touch…"

Raven exchanged a terrified look with Erik when Charles' voice drifted away. It was clear that she was as terrified as Erik that Charles was morbidly addicted to Cerebro. Erik decided then to create locks for the door that couldn't be opened by a key. Allowing Raven to lead Charles to his room, Erik went about collecting spare pieces of scrap metal from the local park. He sat down on a bench and began working them into a complex lock for the door.

"What are you doing?" Erik turned to see a young black girl staring at him. Her hair was starkly white and she looked intrigued, rather than scared at the work in Erik's hands.

"Who are you? Where is your mother?"

"I don't have a mother."

"Father?" Erik asked. The girl shook her head. "Where do you live?

She looked curiously at him, as though wondering why he was so slow. "My parents are gone. I live here this week. Maybe next week too."

Erik opened his hand and caused the metal to levitate a few inches off his palm. "I'm working it into a lock." He told her watching her face for a reaction.

She reached out and touched the metal. "Are you a magician?"

"No. I have this ability that allows me to move metal." Erik didn't know why he was telling this little girl the truth, but there was something about her wide, curious eyes that drew honesty out of him.

"Are there more like you?" The little girl asked. "Or are you alone?"

"There aren't any like _me_, but there are others with powers too." Struck by a sudden though, Erik leaned forward and looked carefully at the girl. "What power do you have, little girl?"

The girl drew herself up proudly, despite being covered in filthy rags for clothes. "I am _not_ a little girl. I'm almost five years old and I've been taking care of myself for two years. My name is Ororo Munroe."

"I'm sorry. I'm Erik Lensherr." Erik said, bowing his head slightly to the little girl. "What power do you have, Ororo?"

"I can control the weather." Ororo said, a smile lifting her lips as she relaxed again. "Do you live with the other people with magic? Can I come with you?"

Amazed by her lack of fear of going someplace with a complete stranger, Erik nodded, stood up, and offered his hand to her. "It's not that far of a walk."

She hesitated only a moment before taking his hand. "Thank you Mr. Lensherr. Can we get my friend to come with us first? She has power too. She's only three."

Hardly able to conceal his excitement at finding two young mutants, Erik nodded again. "Of course. Is she far?"

Ororo shook her head. "We've been sleeping under that tree this week." She pointed to a large tree not too far away with a bunch of roots protruding from the ground. They walked over and Ororo crawled under the roots. "Jean? Jean please come out. I found us a new home. A _real_ home. There are people like us. They all live in this home. Won't you please come with me?"

An even smaller girl with pale skin and red hair poked her head out of the roots. "Who's he?" She demanded, glaring at Erik with more venom than he thought a girl her age should possess.

"This is Mr. Erik Lensherr." Ororo said, holding her hand out to help Jean to her feet. "He can make metal move without touching it. He lives at the home."

Happiness washed out the mistrust on Jean's face as she took Ororo's hand and got to her feet. "Let's go then."

Erik led them to the mansion and introduced them to everyone staying there. He found them rooms near Raven's, who the girls were fascinated by. After leaving them with Raven in the kitchen, Erik went off to find Charles again. He hurried to Cerebro and got there just as Charles was about to walk inside.

"No!" The door slammed shut in Charles' face. "Charles, this is _enough_. You are killing yourself using that damned machine."

"I need to use it! Don't you see? It's the only way I can help everyone!"

"You aren't helping _anyone_ by doing this to yourself, Charles. Please, you haven't brought in a mutant in months and you are no longer teaching classes. This machine is consuming you."

Anger flared on Charles' face, but Erik was glad; it was the first real emotion he had seen in a while. "How dare you tell me how to help these people? Where would they all be without me?"

"The same place that I found two little girls in I assume. Huddled together without homes, struggling to understand why they are different. You failed to notice two mutants living nearly on our doorstep because you have become so obsessed with this room. I will not stand by and allow you to deteriorate like this, Charles."

Fury colored Charles' face for a moment, but then he slumped to the floor, defeated. "You're right."

"I'm sorry." Erik whispered, because he wished he didn't have to be right, not when it made Charles so sad. "Please come meet the girls. They are so young. They were living under a tree."

Pity flashed across Charles' face. "Help me up?" He asked, extending a hand to Erik, who gladly took it. He used his other hand to direct the metal lock onto the door to Cerebro, just in case.

When they got to the kitchen, they found Ororo and Jean stuffing their mouths with fruit that Raven had laid out for them. Raven was entertaining them by shifting into different forms, causing the young girls to laugh and clap. When Erik deposited Charles into a chair, Raven slipped back into her natural form and started making sandwiches.

"How are you feeling, Charles?"

"Terrible." Charles admitted with a smile. "What do we have to eat?"

Raven placed a heaping plate of sandwiches in front of him just as Azazel appeared by the fridge in a puff of black smoke. Ororo and Jean shrieked, but started giggling as they recognized him. "It is time to start making dinner?" Azazel asked Raven.


	5. Chapter 5

Humankind was not to be fooled for long; they soon began to realize that there were people among them with dangerous power. It was not long after Ororo and Jean joined the mansion that Charles attempted to go public with the truth in an attempt to assuage the fears surrounding mutants. He made speeches about mutant kind, imploring the humans to understand that they were no more a threat than anyone else, that they wanted nothing more than to live regular lives.

The humans were too afraid of mutants to accept this as the truth. There was an attack on the mansion that claimed several mutant's lives. The humans were scared off by the show of powers housed, but not before they targeted and killed some of the students. Charles was distraught, and only Raven's voice of reason stopped him from leading an all-out attack on humans. After the funerals, Erik found Charles staring at the door to Cerebro with a look of pure loathing on his face.

"I want to use it to kill them. I want to target the humans and kill them all."

"We can't do that, Charles." Erik said, wrapping his arms around Charles' waist. "There are many humans who stand up for mutant rights. There are plenty of them that are taking care of children that are mutants right now. Killing all of the humans would harm more mutants than they killed in that attack."

Charles leaned back against Erik. "I know. But that doesn't stop me wanting to kill the ones that did this."

"Well, I agree with that sentiment, but this isn't the way to do it. We have to be more careful. Enhance our security. Train harder than before. This cannot be allowed to happen again. They will pay for what they did."

"You always know what to say." Charles sighed.

"Eurgh that's so gross guys. Seriously, just get a room." Raven came walking down the hallway, her newborn baby cuddled in her arms. His tail whipped around slightly and he grabbed her hair with three-fingered hands.. "Anyway, I came down to tell you that Jean just had an accident in the practice room." She glared at them both. "She's only four, guys. She should have had someone in the practice room with her."

Charles lurched out of Erik's arms. "Is everyone okay?"

"Would I be this calm if someone were dying?" Raven demanded. "Everyone's fine. Jean's just a little shaken up. I just thought that you two could go talk to her. She's not letting anyone else near her, but she adores Erik, so maybe he can get her to talk."

"And everyone knows how great I am at comforting people, so I need to get her to let Charles in?" Erik asked shrewdly.

"No, but Charles is a telepath. Maybe he can help her fix her problem. Also, Ororo tore up a few trees in the yard today when she accidentally caused a twister. And Hank is still locked in his lab trying to make a serum to make his feet be normal. I'm on my way to talk to Ororo, but I'm not going to hold Hank's hand and tell him to get over this again." She smiled at the little blue baby in her hands before turning and walking back down the hallway.

Charles sighed. "We can deal with Hank later. Jean needs us more."

Erik agreed and they went to the practice room. Erik knocked on the door. "Jean? Is everything okay in there?"

"Erik?" She called tentatively. "Is that you? Who is that with you? Tell him to go away! I don't want to talk to anyone."

"Jean, we are here to help you." Charles said cautiously. "Raven said you had an accident. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm _fine_!" Jean shouted back, and Charles heard the door and walls buckling. "Go away!"

Charles looked at Erik, and nodded. He walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, mentally blocking every aspect of his mind from the inquisitive probe of Jean's power. "Jean? Charles left, Jean. You don't have to talk to him."

Silence stretched out for a long while before the door slid open. "It's just you?" Jean poked her head into the hallway. Her eyes were red and she looked devastated. "I didn't mean to do it, honest. It was an accident. I didn't mean it."

Erik looked past her into the room and saw everything sprawled across the floor, most of it broken. "This isn't so bad, Jean. You should have seen when we first brought Alex around. We had to completely re-do the basement after one of his accidents. We just need to get new dummies for this room."

Tears started pouring out of Jean's eyes. "But I don't know what happened. I was just trying to detect the telepathic sensor Mr. Xavier put into one of them and they all started flying around. The walls started moving toward me and cracking and the dummies exploded and I don't know how it happened!" She collapsed onto Erik's legs and started sobbing. The walls creaked and several chunks fell from the ceiling tiles.

Erik gently patted the girl's head cautiously. "It's okay, Jean. I brought you here to learn about your powers, remember? This is part of growing up for people like us."

"But I know my power! I'm a telepath like Mr. Xavier. I hear thoughts around me and can make people think what I want them to think. I don't move things like this!"

"Charles has been looking into the possibility that some people can have more than one gift. Don't be scared, Jean, this may just be another development in your power."

With a few sniffles, Jean wiped her face clear of her tears. "Really?" The walls stopped shaking and Jean released Erik's legs, to his relief. "Can we see Mr. Xavier now?" She slid her hand into his and looked up at him with trust in her wide eyes.

"He's in the kitchen. Come on." Erik led her to see Charles, who was waiting for them with a cup of tea in his hands. "Charles, I think Jean might have a double mutation."

Obviously trying not to smile at the two of them holding hands, Charles took a sip of tea. "That's interesting. May I?" Charles asked Jean, lifting his fingers to his temple. Erik loved how polite Charles always was about using his power. Jean nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. Charles only took a few moments inside her mind before he returned to himself. "You have extraordinary power, my dear. More power than I have yet witnessed inside any individual, and I can sense it still needs time to grow. Unfortunately, there is no barrier between your power and your mind, which is why it acted the way it did when you got so upset."

Jean's eyes started to fill with tears again and she looked up at Erik, terror clearly etched into her face. "What does that mean, Charles?" Erik demanded, unconsciously pulling the small girl closer to himself.

"It means her power could grow to such a point where it becomes a danger to her own mind. I may be able to construct a kind of barrier to separate it from the unconscious part of her mind, but I must be sure that it is safe before I try it. Until then, I suggest we take great care in teaching young Jean self control."

"That will not be a problem." Erik did not entirely understand the overwhelming sense of responsibility rushing through him, but he dedicated himself to keeping little Jean safe from anything. He felt strangely connected to the young girl that he had rescued from under a tree only ten months previously. "Come, Jean, I can give you your first lesson now."

A loud bell echoed through the halls, making all of them jump. "Dinner!" Called Raven from outside the window. "Come on, it's a beautiful day, we are all eating out here."

Looking out the kitchen window, Charles, Erik and Jean could see Raven and Azazel setting a table in the yard. As they watched, Azazel grabbed Raven by the arm, pulled her close, and kissed her slowly on the mouth. Baby Kurt pounded the table, demanding his parent's attention and Charles smiled as Azazel scooped the little guy up and swung him around. Looking away, Charles placed his cup in the sink and followed Erik and Jean outside to meet the rest of the house for dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

Jean walked into practice room three several minutes late, but Charles decided it was best to not berate her for tardiness this week. Exactly one year ago today, Jean had watched as humans led an attack on the mansion and killed innocent children out of fear for what they would become. For a young girl with a power that had the tendency to run rampant when she got too worked up, Jean was terrified that she would become the next target.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor. Raven made me have breakfast."

"Good. You know you do better on a full stomach," said Charles with a smile. "Would you like to start by using your power, or by enhancing the walls in your mind?" Charles had discovered that he was able to construct a kind of block inside of Jean's head that prevented her power from leaking into her unconscious mind, but was too afraid of building it all at once. Out of concern for her health, Charles had decided that it would be safer to place the barriers in piece by piece and allow her mind to become accustomed to the intrusion at its own pace.

Jean scrunched her face, focusing her power inwards. "I think we should put up another barrier first. It's been four months since the last one and I haven't gotten a headache in weeks." Charles reached her mind and built up his power to block hers. "Do you think I'll be able to add my own power to the barriers to make them stronger? Or will that only make the walls weaker and let the power run into my mind again?"

"I cannot say for sure. I should think that it would make the barriers stronger, but we can only know for sure through testing. Do you feel comfortable enough with your lessons to try it today?"

"Is that such a good idea, Charles?" Erik's low growl came from the doorway. "You know that her power is weaker for several days after you add the barriers. Shouldn't we wait until she has recovered before pushing her limits like that?"

Jean smiled embarrassedly. "I think I can try it, Erik." She said quietly. "And if it's too much for me, I will just stop."

Erik crossed his arms, obviously not happy, but grudgingly accepting Jean's idea. "I just don't want you hurting yourself."

"These are Jean's lessons, Erik." Charles reminded his lover. "It is up to her how far she will push her powers each day."

Jean closed her eyes and started pushing her own power into the blocks in her mind. After several minutes of concentration, she gave a small gasp of surprise and collapsed. Erik was there before she hit the floor, his hands cushioning her head. "I told you!"

"It was up to her, Erik." Charles reached out to the small girl with his power. "Jean successfully infused my barriers with her power, she just overexerted herself. She needs rest for a few hours, and then she will be fine. You take her to her room, I will tell Ororo. She will want to know."

Charles walked out before Erik could yell some more, secretly loving how much Erik cared for the small girl. As much as the metal bender pretended to be a hard shell, Charles could see compassion hiding underneath his gruff exterior. Ororo was in practice room seven, pushing her power to the limit of her abilities. Alex and Darwin were standing guard on her lesson. "I need to talk with Ororo when she finishes."

"She should be done in a minute, Professor." Alex said. "She knows her limits very well."

At that moment, the flashes stopped coming from under the doorway and Ororo exited, looking pleased with herself. "His Professor! Why aren't you in room three with Jean?"

"Jean overexerted herself today and Erik is bringing her to her room for rest. I wanted you to be the first to know. I promise you she is fine, just tired."

Ororo's face was tense, but she kept her voice calm. "Thank you for telling me professor. I'm going to have lunch with everyone and then I will check on her." She walked away, her whole body stiff.

"She really cares for Jean a lot." Alex said, watching her. "Almost like a sister."

Darwin smiled. "Ororo looked after Jean for two years when Jean was hardly more than a baby, and Ororo not even five. She doesn't want to embarrass Jean by rushing to help her like Jean is a baby, but she can't stay away long before she reassures herself that Jean is truly safe. Ororo grew up fast, being thrown onto the street the way she was, but she can't help her age and worries that Jean is going to be hurt."

"Did you ever have that feeling about anyone?" Alex asked Darwin.

"Not until I came here." Darwin grinned at Alex.

Charles, recognizing the look Alex was giving Darwin, decided it was best to give the two some privacy. "I will be in the lab with Hank if anybody asks." Without waiting for a response, Charles dashed down the hallway and hurried into Hank's lab. The place was turned over; nothing had escaped destruction. Tables were overturned, chairs were smashes, glass was sprinkled over the floor like powder, and metal tubes were snapped cleanly in two. "Hank?"

Something stirred in the far corner; something large and furry. Charles grabbed one of the broken tubes as a weapon and cautiously walked toward the corner. He reached toward the thing with his power and dropped the tube in astonishment. _"Hank?" _The blue creature lifted its shaggy head and looked at Charles with Hank's eyes. "Hank, what on earth happened to you?"

"It didn't work." Hank spat out. "The serum."

"What serum?" Charles asked, although he was pretty sure he knew what had happened.

Hank pushed himself to his feet and holding onto the scraps of clothing left on his body. "A few years ago, I took some of Raven's blood and started trying to make a serum to fix our problems. We wanted to look normal. I thought I was going to be cured."

"Nothing about you needed to be cured." A furious voice from the doorway made both men turn. Ororo was standing there, sparks flying from her eyes. "Nothing was wrong with you."

"It doesn't matter. It didn't work."

"Yes it did." Charles actually took a step away from Ororo's glare, but she didn't even seem to notice him. "It unleashed your true self. This is who you were meant to be."

Hank snarled, his lips peeling away from his teeth. "How would you know anything about this, little girl?"

"Because you have been so obsessed with fixing something that doesn't need to be fixed, that you haven't been doing anything else. We _need_ you to help us, or did you think that Alex could teach your classes?"

"I'm not going out there until I cure this!"

"_There isn't anything to cure!_" Ororo shrieked, her hair beginning to whip around her in strong winds. "_You're perfect exactly the way you are!_" Lightning sliced from Ororo's hair and hit the ceiling, showering her with debris. Ororo shook the chunks out of her hair and took a breath to calm herself down until her power completely retreated back under her control. "Your mutation is what makes you amazing, Hank, and you should know that by now. Why would you want to remove that part of yourself?"

Hank actually dropped his head at the girl's words. With one last shake of her head, Ororo left in the direction of Jean's room. "She's right." Hank mumbled. "I was so obsessed with ridding myself of the ugly part of my mutation, I became consumed by this serum."

Charles rested a hand on Hank's shoulder. "There was never an ugly part of your mutation, Hank." Trying to inject some amusement into their conversation, Charles picked up a torn piece of Hank's shirt and said, "I think you might need to get new clothes."

Hank laughed a little at that. "Maybe Alex will stop making fun of me now." Hank said. "I could threaten to eat him if he did."

"Alex never meant anything by it, Hank. He appreciated your power a great deal, especially after you helped him harness his own."

A loud bell clanged throughout the halls. "Dinner already?"

"That's not the dinner bell." Charles said, fear electrifying his whole body. "That's the warning bell."

"What does it mean?" Hank asked, a nervous tremor sneaking into his voice.

"It means the mansion is under attack."


	7. Chapter 7

Erik had been preparing the mansion for an attack for months, and his lessons were now being put to the test. As soon as the bell began clanging through the halls, the students started sprinting to their rooms. Erik almost ran into Raven, who had terror seeping out of her eyes.

"Have you seen Azazel? He has Kurt!"

A cloud of smoke appeared beside Raven and Azazel grabbed her arm before disappearing again. Erik shook his head and kept running, opening his mind completely and trying to call to Charles.

"Erik!" Ororo came sprinting down the hallway. "Erik this way!" She grabbed his hand and they ran toward the front door. "They're everywhere!"

As they hurried along the halls, Erik saw others coming out of their rooms to follow him. Darwin was helping Alex into his suit to contain his power, Sean was hurried to the stairwell to get to a higher perch with Angel hot on his heels, and Emma was waiting by the front door for Erik to arrive. "Where is Charles?" Erik demanded of her immediately.

"He is coming with Hank."

"Good." Erik turned to the array of mutants behind him. "Emma, I need you to get me a visual on the humans." He felt her link their minds before she ran out the door. Erik focused and instantly saw everything she did. Men were spread in a semi circle around the mansion. _"Get Azazel for me, Emma."_ Erik severed the connection between their minds just as he heard more feet approaching the door.

"Erik!" Charles enveloped Erik in a hug that lasted barely more than a moment.

"Tell Angel and Sean to fly over them and take out as many as they can. Tell Sean to stay on the east side of the house. _They must stay out of range of the weapons_." Erik insisted as Charles lifted his hand to press his fingers to his temple. "Ororo, stay with Colossus. I want you to go to the west side of the house and hit them with anything you can. Colossus, take down anything that gets within twenty feet of her."

"Got it." Ororo jumped onto Colossus' back. They disappeared quickly down the hall.

"Alex, stay with Darwin and go up the middle. Take them down. Darwin, stop them from getting to Alex."

"Erik, Hank finished his serum. It didn't quite work the way he wanted. He could help in this situation." Charles said, grabbing Erik's arm. "The serum accelerated his mutated gene instead of destroying it." A large, blue, furry creature lumbered into sight. "That's him."

"Hank." Erik greeted him. "Nice to see you out of the lab. Go with Alex and Darwin. Don't let anything get too close." A loud pop announced Azazel's arrival. "I need you to get behind them and take them down. I'm sorry," Erik added, "but we need you in this fight."

"I will protect them better by helping the cause." Azazel said before disappearing again. "Charles, you need to stay with me. Keep your mind linked to Emma's and tell me what happens. Send the others out to start fighting as they arrive. I must join the fight." Erik closed his eyes and sensed the traps he and Hank had installed in the ground for an occasion such as this. He raised the metal spikes underneath the approaching humans' feet, sending many of them collapsing to the ground.

"Scott, go find Ororo and Colossus. They need your help." Charles ordered as a young boy with special sunglasses appeared behind Erik. As Charles continued to send people out, Erik sent out his power and sensed the metal the humans were wearing. Their weapons became useless in their hands. Charles yanked Erik's arm. "They got Angel."

"Tell Azazel to get her out of there." Erik ordered, his concentration breaking his hold on the metal and allowing a fresh barrage of grenades to be flung toward the mansion. Catching them all with his mind, Erik sent them hurtling back toward the humans.

"Erik no!" Charles attacked Erik, and the grenades all exploded, most harmlessly away from both sides. "Angel is somewhere over there!"

Erik mentally berated himself for his moment of carelessness. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He turned his attention back to attempting to dismantle every weapon within his range. It seemed that the humans had brought an entire army to take down the mansion they feared, but Erik was confident in their ability to protect the mutants living here.

"I want to help."

Erik released his power and spun around to look at Jean. "Absolutely not."

"Erik…" Charles said warningly, but Erik ignored him.

"You are much too young, and your powers are incredibly weakened after building the new walls. I absolutely refuse to allow you out there."

"But I can help!"

"I will not let you risk your life. We have plenty of mutants already in danger. I do not want you joining them!"

Tears threatened to spill from the girl's eyes and her lip wobbled dangerously. "You let Ororo fight. You let her out there and you won't let me." She sniffed and dug the palm of her hand into her eye. "She's only two years older than me."

Erik cast a desperate look at Charles, who raised his hands and backed away. Crouching down to her level, Erik put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to risk yourself unnecessarily, Jean. Your powers need time to strengthen again."

All of the fight drained out of the little girl and she sat down by the wall. "I'm staying here." She insisted. "Just in case."

Erik couldn't deny her that, so he nodded his consent and turned his attention back to the grounds. The humans had advanced further than he was comfortable with during his conversation and he immediately threw his power back into destroying their weapons.

There was a flash of smoke and two loud pops and Angel was suddenly beside Charles, lying on her side with blood smeared over her left side. The wings on that side were slashed. "Erik." Charles sent an image to Erik's mind of the place where Azazel had found Angel, and Erik targeted those humans. Weapons turned and fired upon their owners, grenades exploded without being thrown, and knives tore through everything Erik could reach until that section was demolished. He collapsed in exhaustion.

"Water." He croaked, wiping sweat off his forehead. Jean sprinted away and back with a large pitcher and several cups. She poured one cup of water for Erik and one for Angel. She returned to Erik with a cool washcloth and placed it on his face. "Thanks. How many of them are left, Charles?"

"They're falling back. Azazel is cutting them down as they run."

"Tell him to let some escape. If they are running, leave them be." Erik coughed several times while Charles relayed the order. "Some of them have to survive to warn the rest that we are not to be trifled with." Erik added with a grin that showed every single one of his teeth.

"I am telling everyone to come back inside. Azazel or Emma will warn us if the humans return." Charles fell silent as he located each of the mutants he needed to find. "There are several injuries."

"Nobody ever uses practice room thirteen. We should make it an infirmary. It's the biggest one." Jean said. Without waiting for a response, she marched off toward the practice rooms.

"Send them there." Erik said, pushing himself to his feet. "And tell Raven to meet me in our new infirmary. We are going to need help."

Charles sent the new instructions to the others before following Erik. Jean was already in the practice room, her face scrunched up in concentration. Several tables were floating down the hallway and settling in the large room. "I need cushions for the tables. At least until we can get some beds here." Jean said as soon as Erik and Charles arrived.

"There are spares in the closets." Charles told Erik and led the way back out of the room to retrieve the cushions. By the time they returned, several of their mutants were sitting on the tables. Jean was ordering the healthy ones about to find bandages to wrap up some wounds. "You really shouldn't treat her like a child, Erik. She has the spirit of a young woman in there."

"If I don't treat her like a child, who will?" Erik asked. Without waiting for Charles to reply, Erik hurried away to help Jean with Hank, who had several deep gashes on his legs.


	8. Chapter 8

After Hank recovered from his stitches, he helped Jean transform practice room thirteen into an infirmary. She had always been interested in health during assigned study hours in the computer rooms, and she had a natural knack for caring for others. She could be found in the infirmary most of the time, but she never missed a chance to sneak away with her friends for a bit of fun.

"How are you feeling?" Jean asked Erik, checking the monitor he was attached to. At twelve years old, she still acted more mature than most people twice her age.

"Ridiculous." Erik replied. "You're young enough to be my daughter and you're my doctor."

"Hush, you." Jean snapped, swatting him on the shoulder. "Now tell me how you feel."

"Well, I can wiggle my toes again, so that's good. It doesn't hurt when I bend my knee. And I didn't pass out when I sat up this morning."

Jean narrowed her eyes at him. "I told you not to get up for at least another week!"

"I didn't get up. I stayed on my bed like a good little patient. I just sat up a little." Erik grinned innocently and she broke, sighing exasperatedly.

"Charles won't be allowed to visit you if he encourages you to break my rules like that." Jean checked one of the charts she had lying on Erik's table. "On the bright side, I think I was wrong. You will probably be able to walk around in a couple days. _If_ you stay in your bed and wait for me to tell you when you can move around." She dropped the clipboard and wandered over to another occupied bed. "How are you feeling Scott?"

Erik dropped back onto his pillows with a sigh. He knew that he had been taking risks going on that mission with Azazel, but somebody had to stop the anti-mutant movement before it turned into a war. One of the protestors had crushed Erik's leg under a tree and Azazel had rushed him back to the infirmary, where Erik had been for the past three months. Jean could use her power to accelerate any healing process, but even she couldn't fully repair his leg any quicker.

"_Erik?"_

"_Jean is very mad at you, Charles."_

"_No harm came from it. She will forget her anger when we have our next class. When are you going to be free from that infernal place?"_

"_Hopefully within a week. Jean said I should be able to walk in a couple days."_

"_Good. My bed has been getting lonely without you."_ Charles sent Erik an image that made Erik wish he were mobile again just before Jean came back.

"Try to behave while I'm gone? I'm going out with some of my friends. We aren't leaving the grounds." She added before Erik could ask. "We aren't that reckless."

One week had never seemed longer to Erik, who nearly cried with relief when he was finally allowed out of the infirmary. He still had a slight limp, but Jean assured him that it would go away with time. Charles was waiting outside the door when Erik stumbled through.

"Finally." Charles said, pushing Erik against the wall and kissing him.

"Get a room!" Jean yelled, slamming the door to the infirmary shut.

"Come with me." Charles pulled Erik along by the hand. "You are going to love what we've done while you were down there. Some of us have put together a protective barrier around the school, that doubles as an alarm system. Nobody will be able to sneak up on us."

Erik nodded appreciatively as he staggered after Charles. "How does it work?"

"The barrier was Raven's idea. It's designed so that nobody can cross except at the entrance, but she built an impressive gate to block up the entrance too. Can't see anything unless you climb the wall, which sets off the alarm."

"She was worried about Kurt, wasn't she?"

"He is too much like his parents. He can't stand being caged, but she is hoping he will grow used to it. The alarm system was Emma's idea. We used ours and Jean's powers to make the alarm system and Raven helped us set up the links to the bell system in the mansion."

"Hopefully this will deter remaining protestors from attacking us again." Erik said as a looming wall came into view through the windows.

"Our only threat would be if anybody were to make it through that wall."

"Then we can only hope nobody makes it through." Erik said as he watched a group of children playing by the trees. He could see Kurt teleporting every time somebody got too close and the others racing to try to catch him. Raven was out by the grill, supposedly making dinner, but really watching the children with a misty smile on her face. Azazel tended to the food, every once in a while stopping to pull Raven close and wrap his arms around her.

A small tornado appeared, catching Kurt before he could teleport and Ororo leaped into the twister to tackle the small blue boy. The children cheered and laughed as the wind died down.

"You really created an amazing place here, Charles."

Charles smiled gently. "We did it. Together."

"But without you, none of this would have been possible. Take pride in your work, Charles. You've given these children a safe place to discover who they are. A place to be themselves."

"If only the rest of the world could accept them the way they are."

"Anybody who wants to hurt our children will have to face us." Erik said, pulling Charles close.

Charles laughed in surprise, but snuggled close to the metal bender. "Our children, Erik?"

"Yes." Erik said, chuckling. "Our children."

"I resent that statement." A voice rang out behind them, making both men jump. Emma was standing there with a smirk playing across her lips. "But I suppose it can apply to the others." She glanced out the window to watch the children play for a moment before turning back to the two men. "I'm leaving."

"What?" Charles demanded, straightening up in shock. "Why?"

"I need to see more of the world. I can't spend all of my time inside this place." She sighed heavily, her eyes downcast. "I love it here, please don't misunderstand me. This place is my home and I will come back, but I have to go somewhere." She paused. "Scott is coming with me."

"I understand." Erik said. "It is difficult to be penned in for so long."

"You don't want to leave too?" Charles looked distraught."

"I have no desire to leave our home, Charles. I simply understand how they feel."

Charles sighed and nodded. "I suppose I understand too. We will miss you both."

"We shouldn't be gone for long. We just want some adventure before we are too old to have one." She smiled at them both before walking out of the room again.

"We need someone to teach her class." Charles pointed out once the door was closed.

"I think Raven would be delighted to teach her own class for once. I think she tires of being an assistant."

Charles nodded and cast his glance out the window again to see Emma and Scott walking toward the gate. They paused for a moment to talk to Azazel and gave him a large rectangular something covered by a brown sheet. After a few moments conversation, Azazel nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Raven talked to Emma for a moment before the two girls hugged and Emma continued on her way. As they passed through the gate, Emma and Scott waved to the children still playing on the grounds. Charles noticed a cloud of smoke near the top of the gate, where a sign was hanging that had certainly not been there before.

"What does that say?" Charles asked Erik, pointing to the wooden sign.

Erik squinted at the gate and then smiled. "It says: Mutant and Proud."

Charles chuckled, recognizing the phrase that Raven and Emma had started saying to the children. "I like it." He said, snuggling close to Erik again.

"Me too." Erik replied, wrapping his arms around Charles and falling backwards onto their bed.


End file.
